We've connected all the computers worldwide, enabled real-time communication between anyone on the globe, developed amazing applications that run online, millions using them simultaneously. Yet, we still struggle to send a file between devices that are right next to each other.
this post was submitted on 04 Sep 2023
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no one can charge you carriage rates when you send and store files on your local area network, you see
If everyone had a team of engineers to setup their local network and devices it would be equally easy.
It's like we mastered the ability to mass produce food for billions of people, but if you try to do everything from scratch on your own it's a PITA.
LocalSend has been a godsend (pun intended) to me. I used Snapdrop/Sharedrop before, but it was always a coin toss if the transfer would work or not. I ended up switching to filedrop, but for some reason my transfer speeds were really low.
With LocalSend my issues have been all but resolved. I can send huge files between my pc and phone without fear of it disconnecting, and it works on my pc, old notebook, my dad's iPhone and my android phone. I really can't thank Tienisto (the creator) enough for what he built.
Can you help me with something? When I read “all but resolved“ I think it’s been everything apart from being resolved? Am I cursed‽
In this case what I meant to say is that I practically don't have issues anymore. Apologies if it sounded confusing, English is not my first language.
Don’t apologize. It is mine and I struggle. Thanks for elaborating
That was actually a correct usage, fwiw (said as a native speaker with a penchant for caring about language – so that's all but confirmed).
That's how I understand "all but", but I've seen many people use it the opposite way, so maybe we're wrong?
Maybe!
do you know how this compares with other file transfer/sync like syncthing?
As @[email protected] said (https://lemmy.ml/comment/3459977), I believe they have different use cases. The TL;DR is: syncthing to have the same copy of a file across different devices, LocalSend to move files between devices directly.
On syncthing you have to upload the file to the synced folder and then download the file to your device, so like device A -> server -> device B.
Whereas on LocalSend you send the file directly between the devices, like device A -> device B.
Any reason to use LocalSend over Syncthing?
They have different usage scenarios.
LocalSend is for the occasional sending of files/folders from A to B or B to A (One direction only).
Syncthing's primary usage is for keeping the exact same copies of files on A and B automatically.
Also has the huge advantage for me that it actually works. I could never get Syncthing to work no matter how much I tweaked it. This worked instantly.
And the interface is not a mess too.
For Syncthing I had to add a bunch of rules to my firewall to allow the necessary connections between my PC and smartphone. And for that I had to find, install and familiarize myself with a fire wall first. And after that ensure that the fire wall service is running always. Summa summarum: it's not something that is likely to work out of the box.
The great thing about Syncthing is that once you have it set up properly it really does work. It silently does its thing in the background and I never think about it
Haven't used LocalSend yet but I imagine it's going to be much less of a pain if the traffic is all routed through the Brower.
I agree on Syncthing's UI, and it did take me some time to understand it and get it working right. But I could only get LocalSend to accept files on my Pixel from my PC when I had the app open. Even with quick save turned on, it wouldn't accept the file without having the app open. But maybe that's the point of LocalSend? More deliberate file sharing?
Doesn't KDE Connect do the same and more?
It can be used similarly as a lite version of KDE Connect, but KDE Connect is for pairing a dedicated device to your PC. This will allow sharing between phones on the same network as well, and allows easier use for usecases like quickly sharing a file to your friend who has their phone connected to your wifi, without making a permanent pairing of the devices.
You could do the same with KDE Connect but you have to set it up on your friends device and allow permissions and all that. With this, you just choose the files and send, and it can work over a link you send instead if the other person doesn't want to install the app. This is a much simpler version for one-time file transfers and for devices not owned by you/not trusted.
man that app is ducking unreliable, please stop recommending that thing
How have you found it unreliable? What system are you on? I have had no issues on both Linux and Windows, but I'd be happy to figure out why you're having issues!
i am on linux ubuntu 22.04 . i try to control the pc using my phone screen as trackpad and its on display keyboard but can' achieve that. i also have this gsconnect gnome extension and both my devices are yet to be paired. ngl i am also using this obscure chinese brand called infinix for a phone, so its not necessarily a samsung or a pixel. apparently mouse and keyboard extensions aren't supported on kdeconnect for this device but idk
That's not even barely enough to call it unreliable.
it has multiple one star reviews on flathub, what can i say..i am not the only one at least..
Is it even on Flathub? Last I checked there's a project that is no longer maintained.
i remember looking it up on flat, or less likely on snap-store (i rarely open it..so probbaly flathub yea), and it doesn't to be maintained really i agree
The one on Flathub isn't official nor maintained.
How does it compare with pairdrop.net?
Just tried sending an 8GB file and it froze. Worked great to send a small image tho!
Nice tool, didn't knew about it, seems far more convenient for dumb end users than what I use right now.
Either setup http/ftp servers but that's painful to explain, or use services over Internet which is a shame on local network...
I'll definitely be using LocalSend for my less tech-savvy friends, but I've had lots of success myself with Portal. It works local or over internet, depending on if it can make a direct connection or not. Works great for quick file transfers to and from my desktop and servers.
ooh portal looks awesome.
I've been using the wormhole.app site or wormhole-william version for when I'm able to use a CLI. Will need to try out Portal tho, looks shiny ✨
Been using it for the last few weeks as a way to easily share links or screenshots between PCs and my phone so I don't have to log both devices into SMB, mostly an issue for my work laptop.
off topic about the site: does anyone have weird scrolling with it? It kept jumping to different pages for me.
anw, the tool looks really cool. Been looking for something that supports different mobile options like this.
i just use rsync on termux
it would be nice if there was a gui for using rsync over ssh because that's a lot of typing if you do it on command line
I also enjoy that one, but I found out, that the file transfer doesn't work on my university network.